By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than out heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandments: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. (1 John 3:16-23)

Today is Christmas. A time for families to get together and celebrate time together. Swap presents. And depending on religious beliefs, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. For everyone that keeps that focus - congratulations!

Since this is my personal blog, I have something personal to share. It's been a rough time for me this year. I tend to get the "holiday blues" anyway. This year has been escalated. I've not been able to give gifts for three years now. My financial state is now where I want it to be. I've been VERY successful starting two new businesses within that time. First lesson to any future start-ups...have some capital to live on while you build the business! I'll be posting a Year In Review soon.

This morning while trying to get out of a "bummed" mood, I kept hearing the phrase "perfect love" in my head. I looked up 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment." Yep, I've been in an emotional torment. Then I read more of 1 John and found the gem I posted upfront. In these sentences, John talks about confidence. I have lacked confidence lately. And whatever we ask we receive from Him - because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in his sight. If I only looked at the Ten Commandments - I have failed miserably over the years. And I have not always done things that are pleasing to God. Every time I speak at curse word - God sighs. But read on.

His commandments: we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.

This is not my fix-it for my mood. That will take a process today. But this will be the Truth I stand on. I cannot love perfectly. I cannot give wrapped presents, I do not have the "world's goods" to share right now. But I certainly believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior. And I love others by showing it with my time and effort, my compassion (yes, it's in there), my vision and ability to help others accomplish great things, and my amazing resourcefulness. That will be my focus. Not the lack of money to buy Christmas presents.

Showing love is not always about giving gifts in the form of wrapped presents under the tree. Nor does it happen only once a year. It's a lifestyle of believing and sharing ourselves to help each other. I have been shown great love. I will always show love in the ways I can.

Thanks bunches for reading and I hope you and yours are having a Joyous Christmas!

It's that time of year when I take advantage of a little downtime to review the past year. I've been involved with a great many things this past year. My measurement of success is not based on the amount of money I've earned, but lives I've enriched in some way and businesses that I've affected positively. I'm looking forward to getting back to blogging regularly and growing my self and business. I will post results - so stay tuned!